Forevers So Short
by Wicked Is My Life
Summary: Several hundred miles out of Oz, Elphaba and Fiyero had traveled far away from the city, resting in a clearing at the edge of the forest. Fiyeraba.


**AN: Happy 41****st**** birthday, Idina! I'm going to go see Idina for the second time when she comes to my city in June!**

* * *

It was too perfect, she thought with a sinking feeling in her chest, knowing all too well that something this wonderful could never last for long.

Several hundred miles out of Oz, they had traveled far away from the city. The city that had ostracized and alienated the both of them, in more ways than one. They had been forever forced into the unknown outskirts, leaving behind only the mixed memories of 22 years of their past.

After having traveling all day through the secrecy of the dense pines and stopping only to catch game or collect berries, they decided to rest for an hour or two. Late in the afternoon, they had noticed the thick trees becoming sparser, the midday sunlight streaming through the treetops, and in a half hour or so found themselves in the midst of a grassy clearing.

The silky smooth blades of grass were almost the exact shade of Elphaba's skin, just a few shades lighter, she observed, as she unlaced her sturdy brown boots and ran barefoot through the meadow. Fiyero laughed and chased after her, watching his lover's raven black tresses fly behind her in the breeze.

Now, they laid in the field, near the edge of a rocky ridge where the grass suddenly dropped off to reveal a rocky cliff that led straight down for a few hundred feet. The tall grass engulfed their bodies as Elphaba's head rested against Fiyero's shoulder. Fiyero gently played with a strand of her silky hair, curling it around his finger then letting it fall to her side again.

She sighed suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence between them.

"What is it, Fae?" Fiyero smiled and looked at her.

"It's nothing." She curled her legs under her and began playing with a blade of grass by her side.

Fiyero, sensing that something was wrong, gently pulled her chin up to look him in the eye.

"Come on, you can tell me," he smiled into her rich brown eyes, the smile that she couldn't help but smile back at every time. Her smile quickly faded, however, as she returned to her thoughts and looked back to the ground.

"It's just…" she sighed again, shaking her head at her preposterous ideas. Fiyero sat waiting, as he always did in those rare moments when she decided to share her thoughts.

"Sometimes, I wonder what's going to happen next."

"I mean, we're going to Kiamo Ko," she explained.

"But… then what? What happens next?" her voice grew softer as she looked into his eyes, searching for answers.

Fiyero knew she was implying about their relationship, and what exactly they were and what would become of them. He wasn't quite sure either. They were certainly more than friends, but what exactly?

After a moment's hesitation, he answered truthfully, "I don't know."

Fiyero closed the small space between them and kissed her lightly on the lips.

When they broke apart he whispered, "We can do whatever we want. That's the beauty of it."

He silently kissed her again, lingering above her lips a second longer.

"But… what will happen to you?" Elphaba referred to his now straw and burlap body.

The look of guilt and remorse in her eyes was evident to Fiyero. Whenever she looked at him he could see it written clearly on her face. No matter how good she thought she was at hiding her emotions, he could always see right through her, just as she could him. They had discussed it before, but still he said, "Elphaba, I don't blame you."

"Well you should," she quickly shot back.

"You saved my life. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"Fiyero, I _ruined _your life." She was standing up now, feeling the guilt of what she'd done wash over her for the hundredth time now, as she stared at his cloth and leather face, his burlap lips that would never again feel the same against her own. She remembered his soft tan skin, and the ethereal blue diamonds that adorned it like some sort of exotic jewelry. She remembered his light brown hair, the way it softly fell across his forehead, and the way it felt to run her fingers through its thickness. And she remembered his gentle blue-grey eyes. They were still there, of course, but they were different. Years ago, at Shiz, he'd appeared so carefree, his lightheartedness reflected in his eyes. On that night that seemed so long ago, when he first told her he loved her, she hadn't believed him. But then she saw it in his eyes, that he wasn't lying. They were so soft, innocent and pleading, pleading for her to trust him and let him show her that he loved her. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, which Elphaba found to be true as she stared into his and saw for the first time that his love for her was pure.

Here and now, after the event, his eyes held a depth to them, a sadness of which, for the first time, she could not completely read.

"Just look at you." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them, knowing how wrong and heartless they sounded.

"I mean, that's not what I meant," she tried to cover up her previous statement, but the damage had already been done. She sighed in frustration.

"I guess I just don't want to lose you."

"Elphaba," Fiyero stood up as well and held both of her hands in front of him.

"I promise you I'll never leave you."

"Never say never. You don't know what the future holds." Elphaba spoke purely from experience.

"I promise you, Elphaba Thropp, that we will be together forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever and eternity."

Elphaba smiled slightly, causing Fiyero to smile even bigger.

He kissed her forehead and let go of her hands, taking one step backward.

The look of realization and terror on his face was the last thing Elphaba saw of Fiyero, as his straw body tumbled over the edge of the cliff, their screams of terror echoing of the rocky walls being the last sounds that either of them would hear as Elphaba leaned over the edge, her tears and hysterical sobs joining her lover's unseen body still falling, falling into the depths of the unknown.


End file.
